Schedule or inventory board



March 8, 1955 G. 1 MAcKlNTosH l2,703,548

SCHEDULE OR INVENTORY BOARD Filed sept. 25, 1952 ipmnmninimniimnmumm George L. Machu zalsz E @,@MZHS United States Patent O SCHEDULE R INVENTORY BOARD George L. Mackintosh, New York, N. Y., assignox` to The Tablet and 'Iicket Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application September 23, 1952, Serial No. 311,091

2 Claims. (Cl. 116-135) This invention relates to improvements in scheduling or inventory boards.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a simple and novel form of visual indicating board showing scheduling, progress of operation or work, inventory and the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved form of indicating board utilizing movable indicating members of contrasting colors, one being distinct from the color of the board and the other blending with the color of the board, to readily indicate the desired tabular data.

Another object of my invention is to provide an indicating means for indicating boards so arranged as to readily bring to the attention a scheduling, progress of work, inventory and the like on a board by utilizing exible indicating members joined together along the face of the board, the member on one side of the junction being of a color distinct from the color of the board and the member on the opposite side of the junction thereof being of a color blending with the color of the board and the junction point of the members being an indicating pointer.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved form of indicating board having removable indicia arranged in columns, with a vertical marker providing a vertical line at any column of the board and indicating the progress of scheduling, inventory and the like by a plurality of parallel spaced continuous indicating members of contrasting colors trained along opposite sides of the board for movement therealong and defining movable horizontal lines intersecting the columns of the board.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specilication proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a front view of an indicating board constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the board shown in Figure 1 drawn to a reduced scale;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line III- III of Figure 1 in order to show certain details of the construction of the board and movable flexible indicators;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing the pointer and connecting means between adjacent ends of one of the exible indicators;

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of one of the removable indicating letters of the board; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines VI-VI of Figure l and showing the detachable mounting for one end of the vertical marker on the indicating board.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown generally an indicating board 10 framed by a frame 11. The frame 11 extends beyond opposite sides of the board and is spaced from the front thereof to accommodate exible indicating members 12, 12, herein shown as being continuous and as extending along the front and back of the board.

The board 10 may be made of wood or any other suitable material and may be secured to the backof the frame 11 by securing members 13, 13, secured to the top and bottom sides of said board. The board 10 is shown as having a plurality of parallel spaced slits 14, 14 extending horizontally alongthe face thereof, for the entire length thereof. The strips between the slits lCe 14, 14 are shown as being covered with a backing 15 which may be black felt or any other suitable material or any color desired. The backing 15 is shown as being applied to the strips between the slits 14, 14 and as extending into said slits to receive yand detachably retain tabs 16, 16 of indicia 17. The indicia 17 are shown as being letters and numerals and are provided to be quickly changed and readily designate the desired tabular data, such as a scheduling, progress, inventory and the like.

As herein shown, a column headed Machines is at the left of the board, the letters of which are the removable indicia 17. Beneath this heading may be descriptions of the various machines involved, which as herein shown are numbered, but which may be designated 1n any desired manner. The headings and sub-headings are all formed by the removable indicia 17, 17 and ample space is provided for the desired descriptive or tabular matter, which is shown as being vertically arranged in columns.

To the right of the heading Machines are provided vertical lines 18, 18 of a color contrasting to the color of the board, to outline a plurality of vertical columns. These columns are shown as being headed for the days of the month and beneath the days are detachably applied numerals, which in the particular instance show the loading of the machines on particular days during that particular month. It is understood, however, that any tabular data may be designated in the columns by means of the replaceable indicia 18, 18, and that the board may be used for many other purposes than to show the scheduling and tabular data of machines in operation in a machine shop.

Associated with each horizontal row of figures is one of the horizontally movable exible indicators 12. Each indicator 12 is shown as being continuous and as consisting of a marker or pointer 19 having the adjacent ends of exible members, such as cords 20 and 21 connected thereto. The cords 20, 21 are trained along the face of the board through guide members or eyelets 22, 22 at the opposite ends thereof (see Fig. 3). From thence the cords are trained beyond the ends of the board and change their direction about pulleys or spools 23, 23. The spools 23, 23 at opposite ends of the board 10 are shown as being mounted on longitudinally spaced shafts 24, 24 extending through spaced suppoits and spacers 25, 25 shown as being mounted on the back of the frame and extending in alignment with the board 10 rearwardly therefrom. The aligned cords 20, 21 are shown as being connected together at the back of the board by a tension spring 26, for maintaining tension thereon.

The pointer 19 is shown as being a split generally cylindrical connector, such as is commonly used to connect a pull cord to a pull switch of a light xture, so need not herein be described further. It is, of course, obvious that any form of connector may be used to form the cords into an endless indicator or marker, and also serve as a visual pointer.

The cord 20 to the left of the indicator 19 may be a contrasting color from the color of the board and the lines 18, 18 defining the vertical columns of the board, such as red or any other desired color. The color of the cord 21 to the right of the indicator 19 may be a color which blends with the background of the board and which may be black where the felt backing is black, which is a common color for indicator boards.

Therefore, when the spools 23, 23 are rotated, or the cord is pulled to move the pointer or indicator 19 along the face of the board, the contrasting colored portion of the iiexible indicating member terminating at the pointer 19 provides a visual indicator readily attracting the attention of the eye and showing the desired tabular data on the board, while the portion 21 of the flexible;

moana the indicia 17 and engaged in the indicia carrying slots 14, 14 of the board, so as to define a vertical line at any desired column of the board as, for example, to show the status of machines or the like as of a particular day of the month.

It will be understood that modifications and variations of this invention may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. An indicating board of the class described having a frame spaced from the face thereof and covering the edges thereof and spaced outwardly from the ends of the board, said board having a plurality of equally spaced horizontal slits extending therealong, the spaces between said slits being covered with a fabric extending-within said slits, replaceable indicia having tabs insertable within said slits and retained therein by said fabric, a exible vertical marker having tabs at opposite ends thereof movable along said slits and defining a movable vertical line at any desired column of the board, continuous flexible indicating members trained along opposite sides of the board, means training said members along opposite sides of the board comprising vertical shafts spaced from each end of the board having pulleys thereon and changing the direction `of said indicating members, tension springs in said eXible indicating members at the back of the board for maintaining tension thereon, pointers at the front of the board cooperating with said indicia and vertical marker and forming connecting members for connecting said indicating members together to form continuous indicating members, and said indicating members being of contrasting colors on opposite sides of said pointers, one color of which distinguishes from the color of the board and theother color of which blends with the color of the board.

2. In an indicating board, a frame, a board within said frame having a plurality of equally spaced horizontal slits extending therealong, the spaces between said slits being covered with fabric extending within said slits, replaceable indicia having tabs insertable within said slits and retained therein by said fabric, a iiexible vertical marker having tabs at opposite ends thereof movable along the slits in said board adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof and defining a movable vertical line at any desired column of the board, continuous flexible indi cating members trained along opposite sides of said board about the ends thereof, a tension spring connected in each ilexible indicating member at the back of the board for maintaining tension thereon,4 and pointers at the front of the board cooperating with said indicia and vertical marker and forming connecting members for connecting said indicating members together to form continuous indicating members.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,079,372 Spielmann Nov. 25, 1913 1,740,978 Goldsmith Dec. 24, 1929 2,097,835 Epps Nov. 2, 1937 2,171,602 Schantz Sept. 5, 1939 2,488,338 Senegas Nov. 15, 1949 2,537,508 Brokaw Jan. 9, 1951 2,589,812 Hoskins Mar. 18, 1952 2,593,348 Sanderson Apr. 15, 1952 

